Sash lift



Dec. 14, 1943. VA'. Ml LINN SASH LIFT *1 Filed March 10, 1942 Patented Dec. 1%, i943 SASH LIFT Alexander M. Linn, Houston, Tex. Application March 10, 1942, Serial No. 434,086

1 Claim.

My invention relates to sash lifts and particularly sash lifts for windows of the type customarily installed in residences, offices and the like which are supplies with Venetian blinds.

Among the objects of my invention is to provide a new and improved sash lift which extends from the window sash inwardly so as to be accessible and used for raising and lowering the window sash without it being necessary to lift the Venetian blinds out of place.

Also among the objects of my invention is to provide a new and improved sash lift which extends inwardly from the sash entirely free from contact with Venetian blinds so that the blinds may not be unnecessarily abused during the frequent raising and lowering of the sash, said sash lift being at the same time attractive and unobtrusive so that it does not detract from the appearance of a window equipped with attractive Venetian blinds.

Also among the objects of my invention is to provide a sash lift which is quick in operation whether the blinds are up or down, simple in construction so that it cannot get out of order, reasonable in cost and which, due to its position, makes it unnecessary to operate the blinds, thereby saving wear on the blind hardware, tape, cord and the like and on occasions permitting the lowermost edge of the blinds to be permanently attached to a Window sill.

With these and other objects in View, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a window equipped with Venetian blinds and provided with my novel sash lift;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional View on the line 2-2 of Figure l drawn to a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the lower portion of a window provided with my device drawn to a larger scale; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of my sash lift.

Where Windows are equipped with Venetian blinds, the blinds, of course, are made of such length that they extend from side to side of the window almost touching the edges at both sides and also extending the entire distance from the top to the bottom of the window when fully extended. The blinds are thus made to complete- 1;! fit the window frame so that when the slats are closed view through the window is completely obstructed. A slight clearance, of course, must be left on each side so that the blinds may be freely lifted up and down should it be desired to raise them and leave a clear space through the window. Also on occasions, it becomes desirable to fasten the blinds to the window sill so that they may be firmly retained in place. Whenever blinds are equipped with a fastening means at the bottom without some novel Window sash lifting arrangement, it would be necessary to unfasten the blinds and lift them or at least to hold them out of the way in order that the window sash might be raised and lowered. Constantly moving the blinds about, shifting them out of place and handling them deteriorates the blinds materially so that they become dirty and worn by handling in a manner which they are not designed for. It therefore becomes highly desirable to provide a sash lift of a type which will permit the window sash to be raised and lowered regardless of whether or not the blinds may be fully lowered and secured in lowered position, and also whether the slats might be closed or not.

In the drawing chosen to illustrate an embodiment of my invention showing a sash lift which can be manipulated by the finger tips, there is shown a window frame it having sides 92 and i l, a top I6 and a bottom l8 forming the window frame and set into a wall 29 of a building. A window sill 22 is shown at the lower side of the frame.

Within the window frame there is shown an upper sash 2t and a lower sash 26, both of which are designed to be raised and lowered. A pane of glass 28 is shown in place in Figure in the lower sash.

As best shown in Figure 2, the sash 2a is mounted between an inner stop strip 353 and a dividing stop strip 32 which form a vertical path within which the sash can slide up and down.

Also within the window frame there is positioned a Venetian blind having slats 3d, a supporting cross piece 36 at the top and an anchorihg cross piece 38 at the bottom. In the particular embodiment shown, a pair of hooks M on the window sill engage a pair of pins 62 on the anchoring cross piece so that the blind may be anchored in place.

For raising and lowering the sash while the blind remains in place, there is provided a sash lift designed to be manipulated by the finger tip which is comprised of a bracket generally designated by the character it. The bracket includes a base portion it which lies flat against the inside surface of the window sash at the side near the bottom as shown in Figure 1. When the bracket is made in the form of a U, the base portion 46 forms one leg of the U. A web portion 48 extends inwardly from the sash and the base portion at substantially right angles. It will be noted that the web portion being relatively thin occupies the space between the ends of the slats and the adjacent vertical face of the stop strip 39. The web, of course, is clear of the stop strip and the ends of the slats. At the end of the bracket opposite from the base portion 45 there is a vertical element 50 which forms the other leg when the bracket has the form of a U. The vertical element shown in Figure 3 has a length somewhat greater than the distance between adjacent Venetian blind slats 34. It will also be noted that the vertical element is spaced a short distance outwardly from the inside edges of the slats so that the distance between the base portion and the vertical element is greater by a slight amount than the width of the: slats, leaving a clear space between th two to permit the bracket to pass over the ends of the slats. It will further be noted that by reason of the fact that the vertical element spans the distance between two slats it will form a retaining means in order to prevent the blind from rattling about when blown by the wind when the window sash has been lifted. At the top of vertical element 50 as shown in Figure 3, there is a turned over lip portion 52 so shaped that the index finger can be inserted under the lip in order to raise the sash.

Each window is usually provided with a pair of lifts with a right-hand lift on one side of the window and the left-hand lift on the other. On other occasions, particularly where the Venetian blind is anchored as shown in Figure 3, a modifled form of the sash lift may be used wherein a vertical element 50 may have a length less than the distance between two adjacent slats but wherein the distance between the vertical element 50 and the base portion 46 exceeds the width of the slats of the Venetian blind.

There has thus been provided a simple and ficient sash lift for use with windows equipped with Venetian blinds which is so constructed that it can be made to harmonize with the window fittings, which is confined to the space within the window frame and which is so designed that it can be easily installed and easily operated at all times. By having the inside leg parallel to the inside face of the sash and extending inwardly so as to clear the frame and the edge of the blinds, an operator is given easy access to the lift without having the lift protrude an unnecessarily great distance inwardly into the room.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim any modified forms of structure, or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

In a sash lift of the kind described, a base plate adapted to be fastened to the face of a window sash, a thin plate-like web extending away from the base at a right angle thereto and adapted to project from the sash close to the frame so as to clear a Venetian blind, said web terminating in a fiat, thin, vertical element projecting from the web at substantially a right angle thereto and in the same direction as and parallel to the base so as to overlie a Venetian blind substantially as shown, to form a retaining means therefor, and a finger-engaging, turned-over lip projecting away from the vertical element and base.

ALEXANDER 1V1. LINN. 

